Toy Story

Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by John Lasseter, it was the first feature-length film made entirely with computer animation, and Pixar’s first feature. The screenplay is credited to Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow, from a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft.

The story is set mainly in a child’s bedroom and follows toys that come alive when humans are absent. Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, is Andy Davis’s favorite toy and the leader of the room’s toy community. His position is threatened when Andy receives Buzz Lightyear, a flashy space ranger action figure voiced by Tim Allen, for his birthday. Buzz initially believes he is an actual Space Ranger rather than a toy. After Woody accidentally knocks Buzz out a window, the other toys suspect Woody acted out of jealousy.

Woody and Buzz end up at Pizza Planet, then in the house of Andy’s destructive neighbor Sid Phillips. Sid takes Buzz, while Woody encounters toys Sid has dismantled and reassembled. Buzz’s confidence collapses after he sees a television commercial advertising Buzz Lightyear toys and fails in an attempt to fly. Woody helps him accept that being a toy gives him a meaningful role in a child’s life. Together, they escape Sid’s room, rescue Sid’s mutant toys from fear, and race to rejoin Andy during the family’s move. They use a remote-controlled car and then a rocket attached to Buzz to catch the moving truck. The final scene introduces Andy’s Christmas present, a puppy, to Woody and Buzz’s alarm.

The supporting voice cast includes Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Jim Varney as Slinky Dog, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, Annie Potts as Bo Peep, R. Lee Ermey as Sergeant, and Laurie Metcalf as Andy’s mother. Randy Newman composed the score and wrote songs including “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” which became closely associated with the series.

Toy Story premiered in Los Angeles on November 19, 1995, and opened in the US five days later. It earned more than $373 million worldwide against a reported $30 million budget. The film received Special Achievement Academy Award recognition for Lasseter, as well as Oscar nominations for Original Screenplay, Original Song, and Original Score. In 2005, the Library of Congress selected it for the National Film Registry for preservation.